Portable box car loader



Apr-i1 1932- H. A. PHILLIPS 1,855,257

PORTABLE BOX CAR LOADER Filed Jan. 15, i930 2 Sheets-Sheet l 4 34 6 a 5a m 90 9a m2 P- 1 w l v M /6 J0 w M 94 i .c

u 9g 1 2a M M 54 56 12 m April 26, 1932. H. A. PHILLIPS 1,855,257

PORTABLE BOX CAR LOADER Filed Jan. 15, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr- 26, 1932 UNITED A STATES PATENT OFFICE HOWARD A. PHILLIPS, OF OTTUIVLWA, IOWA, ASSIGNOR 'IO OT'IUMWA BOX CAR LQADER i (30., OF QT'JIUIVIIWA IOWA, A CORPORATION OF IOWA PORTABLE BOX can LOADER Application filed January 15, 1930. Serial No. 420,891.

The object of my present invention is to provide a portablebox car loader of simple, durable and inexpensive construction.

More particularly, it is my object to provide a smallloader of light weight, which is freely mobile and can be moved from place to lace by hand. 1

till another object is to provide such a portable, freely mobile loader, having a pair of wheels, a frame thereon'including upright members, and a spaced material receiving element, an endless conveyor pivoted on the part of the frame having the material receiving element and being mounted on said upright members for vertical adjustment, the

material receiving portion of the frame having an adjustable supporting leg or the like.

Still a further object is toprovide such a structureof this kind in which the endless conveyor is so supported that it may be vertically adjusted at its end and at a point intermediate its ends;

Thus it is my purpose generally to provide a portable loader including an endless conveyor capable of being operated at different speeds and adjusted to a very great variety of heights and angles.

Another purpose of my invention is to provide a structure which affords maximum strength for the loader, and which provides means for holding the loader against sidewlse swaying.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of my portable box c'ar loader, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a top or plan view of myimproved portable box car loader.

Figure 2 shows a sideelevation ofthe same, parts being broken away. v

Figure 3 is a detail, sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic plan view, illustrating the manner of using my improved portableloader.

Figure 5 is a transverse, vertical, sectional View taken on the line 55of Figure 3; and

Figure 6 is a detail, sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 5.

Generally speaking my improved portable loader consists'of a frame, indicated generally by the reference numeral 10, mounted on a pair of wheels 12 and projecting rearwardly therefrom, and having at its rearward part a material receiving means, such as achute 14. An endless conveyor 16 is pivoted at the chute portion of the device and projects forwardly above and between the wheels,

Referring now in greater detail to the structure under consideration, it will be observed that the wheels 12 are mounted on and connected by an axle 18.- The axle is j ournaled on a transverse an le bar 20 (Figure 3) Secured to the rear flange of the angle bar 20 is a transverse plate or bar 22. At the ends of the plate 22,'uprights 24 of any suitable material 7 and shape, having the proper strength and weight are arranged.

Secured to and extending upwardly from the lower ends of the uprights 24 are substantially horizontal plates 26 (see Figure 2) forming frame members, which connect with side plates 28 shown in Figure 2. The side plates extend upwardly and are connected near their rear upper edges by what may be called a back wall 30 (Figure 3) Supported between the upper rear portions of the side walls 28 and at the upper part of the back wall" 30 is the rear inclined wall 32 of a material receiving chute.

Secured to the upper edges of the side walls 28 are outwardly and upwardly inclined chute members 34, which have supporting arms 36 at their forward portions, which are rigidly secured to the respective uprights 24. Supported between the frame members 26 on a connecting frame member 38,shown in Figure 3 is a motor 40. V V

The rear portion of the frame is adjustably supported by means of a supporting leg or the like 42, comprising a lower bar 42a and upwardly extending arms 42?) (see Figure 5). The arms 42?) are provided witha series of holes 44 .to selectively receive bolts '46, by which the supporting leg maybe adjustably connected with thedownwardly projecting ae taaa sng portions of the side walls 28. Instead of the supporting leg 42, casters may be used if deslred.

At the upper ends of the uprights 24 are mounted pulleys 48 for which there are provided guards .50. 7

On the rear parts of the side walls 28 are journaled the spindles 52 and 54 of a roller 56, having in its ends teeth 58 for the sprocket chains 60 or the convey r 16-, which will be referred to below.

The roller 56 forms part of an endless conveyor having the bottom 62 and side walls 64. Relatively Wide plates (Share-secured to the rear ends of the side walls 64 of the conveyor 1 6 as indicated for instance in Fig ure The spindles 52 and 54 are j'ourna'led in bearing members 53 securedto the plates 66.

The bear'ing'members- 53 are pivot-ally mounted inflange members 55 securedto the side walls of the chute 14. A

At the front end or the conveyor is an idler roller 68,- having; spindles 69 j'our'naled in brackets 70 adjustably' mounted on the front ildS of thesil walls 64.

Ghaifl guides 72 are secured to the lower parts of the plates 66 and extend forwardly below the endless eenv'eyor 16 be form ports for the lower stretches of the chains 60.

The forward portions of the chain guides 7 2 are supported by braces 74' projecting downwardly from the sides 64- er the endless conveyor;

The forward roller 68 is provided with sprockets 76 for the chains.-

The hei'ns are connected by cross bars 78-, which have flanges 80' between the chains to serve as scrapers er inaceri a1 en a ing means. A belt ty'pe conveyor may be used instead of cross bars and chains. U

The brackets 7 0 are supported on the side walls 64 of the endless conveyor by means of adjustable bolts 82 extended through the side walls 64 and through elongated slots 84 in' the brackets 70, as" shown in Figure 2 for example.

On the brackets 70'" ere suitable handles 86 used in manually moving the loader. Each bracket 7o has in its rear pert out wardly projecting flan e 88 Angle bars 90 are mounted adjacent thereto on the side walls 64of tl1 e' end1ess conveyor. H

A Adjusting: eerew 92'i are' thr eaded in the han -east eaa ie aaaeeesegh se assesses eaibi au t a aee araaaefi Figure 2).

Secured to the chain guides 72 and extending transversely across below them and projecting beyond them is a cross bar 94, secured to which are eyebolts 96. Cables 98 extend from the eyebolts 96 upwardly and around the respective pulleys 48 and thence downwardly and around drums 100 on a transverse shaft 102 (see Figures 1 and 2). The shaft 102 is mounted in suitable brackets 104 carried by the frame members 26' (see On the shaft 102 is a Worm wheel 106, which meshes with a worm 108 on a rod 110' suitably journaled on the frame of the machine as indicated in Figure 6.

The rod 110 extends rearwardly as shown in Figures 2 and 6 and has on its rear end a crank 112 by which it may be rotated for thus manipulating the drums 100.

The motor 40 is of the variable speed type and has a shaft 114, shown for instance in Figures 2 and 5. On the; shaft 114 is a sprocket 116 on which travels a chain 118 extending over a sprocket 120 on the spindles 52 and 54 of the endless conveyor roller 56.

I shall now refer to the operation of my improved boX car loader and thereafter set forth some of its advantages.

The box car loader can be moved by hand very readily from place to place;

' The user can grasp one of the handles 82 (see Figure 2) and by pushing downwardly and moving the endless conveyor for instance from the full line positionshown in Figure 2 to the dotted line" position shown therein, the rear end of the loader can be lifted from the ground; The whole thing can thenbe moved about on the wheels 12 to the place where it is to be used.

In Figure 4, I have illustrated a loading platform 122 with a box car 124 adjacent thereto shown in diagrammatic form, and a gang plank 126 arranged between the loading platform and the boX car.

If the far' end of the box car is to be loaded, the loader may be moved clear to the inside of the box ear and the material to be loaded may be supplied to the loader through the chute 125. The loader may be elevated conveniently for throwing the material, as may be desired, by manipulating the crank handle 112' and thus winding the cables 98 upon the drums 100 or releasing them as may be desired. Another adjustment may be had by removing the bolts 46 and placing them in different holes 44 inthe 'l -1 a Therese ar lil'dvidii ctrisil lra ble range of djese e aw iefiaeea 1 d l fi spihd athhh bl i the Fl 6 rat'e d may, o coursi d l tflate 15 IE hf thffibt hw' ari 2i .It will of co he haraaftase le I a e re? a f' '11 H aa hnnaai oawny eeaaehgtre r In n and speeding up the conveyor chains, the ma terial can be thrown quite a considerable distance.

After the ends of the box car are loaded, the loader can be pulled out, and thus moved to any of the positions shown eitherin full lines or dotted lines in Figure 4, and of course, to many other positions.

In Figure 2, I have shown the endless conveyor provided with wear and guide plates 126, which will engage the uprights 24 and prevent any side swaying of the endless conveyor during its operation.

While I have referred to my loader as a box car'loader, it may be understood that it may beused for a great variety of material handling purposes, and I do not want to limit myself to its use for loading box cars.

Changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the various parts of my improved portable loader without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims, any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents, which may be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim as my invention:

1. A portable loader of the class described, comprising supporting wheels, a frame carried thereby and projecting rearwardly from the wheels, a chute structure at the rear part of the frame, an endless conveyor including sides and a rear shaft, tubular bearings on said sides for said rear shaft, bearings on said frame for said tubular bearings to pivot in, said conveyor receiving material discharged into the chute structure and projecting forwardly beyond the wheels, uprights on the frame forwardly of the pivot end of the conveyor, and means for adjustably mounting the conveyor on the uprights,

2. A loader of the class described comprising a frame, a chute structure at the rear part of the frame, an endless conveyor including sides and a rear shaft, tubular bearings on said sides for said rear shaft, bearings on said frame for said tubular bearings to pivot in, said conveyor receiving material discharged into the chute structure and conveying it away therefrom and means for adjustably mounting the conveyor for pivotal movement of said tubular bearings on said sides a in said bearings on said frame.

Des Moines, Iowa, December 12, 1929.

HOWARD A. PHILLIPS. 

